Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2024 i What Motorhome

WITH many new campervans costing £70k or more and older used diesel ’vans now falling foul of low emission zones, the idea of a petrol-powered, low-cost alternative is more attractive than ever. But, with most European base vehicles having been 99.9% diesel for decades, it’s to Japanese chassis that converters have long been turning. And not vans but people-carriers that offer more spec, if a little less space. There are a number of specialists in this sector, some of them long-established converters of Japanese vehicles. Axon Motorhomes itself has been building Nissan Elgrand conversions for the past seven years, with the completed campers being retailed by Quality Campervans of Lostock Hall, near Preston, which usually has examples in stock and ready to go. Axon also builds campers on the smaller…

EXPERIENCED motorhomers might view a Volkswagen Transporter as tiny, while, to those more used to driving a Polo or Fiesta, a T6 could seem huge. For those buyers, there has always been a selection of really small campervans on the market – ones that truly can be described as ‘car sized’ – and, in this genre, the Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Partner (same vehicle, different badge) have always been a popular starting point. That’s the case here, too, with Go2 Campers choosing the 2008 to 2018 generation of these Gallic cars – yes, it uses the car derivatives of the Berlingo/Partner, not the panel vans. So, the black 16-plate example seen here is a Berlingo Multispace VTR with a 1.6-litre 90hp diesel motor and manual gearbox. Petrol and automatic versions…

PILOTE is well established in the campervan world with its range of Fiatbased high-tops but new this year is the X-Edition, which aims to cut out the hassle of wading through options lists by giving you all the essentials as standard. Four models are available, two with transverse beds (V540G and the longer V600G), a single bed layout in the V630J and, most unusually, the V633M with an electric rising rear bed over a huge garage. Here, it’s the V600G that’s under scrutiny as not only does it have the extra spec but also a new kitchen design and wider bed for 2024. It’s also the most popular of all continental-style campervan layouts. Based on the six-metre Ducato with the 140hp engine and manual gearbox, it comes with 16in alloy…

German liner-class motorhome manufacturer, Morelo, is amongst the first European brands to announce its plans for the 2025 season. For a start, there are new developments on the exterior, including the new Bridge Light brake light and a curved windscreen shaped around the A-pillars up to the side walls. This results in improved aerodynamics, an enlarged field of vision and reduced weight. Furthermore, all model ranges now benefit from LED headlights. The Home range takes a break in the coming season, so the Loft – from 7.99m long and €219,900 – is now the entry-level Morelo. In addition to its new exterior, the Loft has a redesigned interior featuring revised furniture construction with modern lightweight panels and a honeycomb structure to ensure weight savings across the entire body. There are…

SEE a VW camper conversion at a show and it’s almost automatic to assume that it’ll have the usual side kitchen layout but, from the number of people peering into Brown Bird & Co’s Sully at the Yorkshire Motorhome & Campervan Show, you could tell that this was something special. It’s the latest design from a three-year old company that developed its conversions from experience of full-time vanlife. Previous models have been based on larger panel vans such as the Mercedes Sprinter and the design here owes its inspiration to those bigger vehicles, not the traditional Transporter format. Like its larger campervans, Brown Bird & Co’s VW is also designed for long-term offgrid living, so there’s a full Victron electrical system with anything from 150W up to 360W of solar…

ORANGE Campers made its name with the Trouvaille Classique, a side kitchen layout in a short-wheelbase Fiat Ducato – thus offering considerably more living space than a VW Transporter. But when Fiat discontinued the 5m panel van, this Rotherham company had to look to alternative base vehicles, resulting in a more varied range that includes the Ford Transit Custom and medium-wheelbase Ducato as well as this, the Micro Camper. As the Volkswagen T6.1 is in its twilight days and new-generation Transit Customs seem to only just be starting to arrive on the UK campervan market, a number of converters have turned their attention to the Renault Trafic as a well-priced alternative. But Orange Campers had another idea and one that seems to have worked out rather well. This is the…

CLICK on Speeds’ website and it declares ‘Ford Custom camper specialists’ before scrolling through some images of brightly liveried pop-top conversions. But there’s no doubt that this sector has slowed, due to the arrival of an all-new Transit Custom base vehicle (with its VW relation waiting in the wings), alongside an overabundance of competition. So, here is something slightly different that, maybe, will appeal to a slightly different buyer. It’s still a Ford – just the full-sized ‘no suffix’ Transit, rather than the smaller Transit Custom. And it still has the eternally popular, campervan classic formula of a rear bench/bed and a side kitchen. But the Roma, based on an L2 H2 Transit van, doesn’t need a pop-top to have standing room inside and it’s wider and a shade longer…

Three of the UK’s largest leisure vehicle manufacturers – Swift, Bailey and the Erwin Hymer Group UK (EHG) – have released their latest profit and loss figures. These reveal mixed results, with both Swift and Bailey reporting a profitable year, while EHG made a loss. However, EHG, which is based in Consett, Co Durham, said it is looking forward to a stronger year after its second year of losses. In its last financial year, which ended at the start of August 2023, EHG made a pre-tax loss of £6.6 million, which is despite turnover increasing for the year by over £11 million. In the previous 12-month period it made a £4.7m loss. However, it says all the signs are positive for the year ahead as it has a strong order…

THIS layout has clearly been a real success for the Rapido Group. It debuted in 2015 and it’s still going strong, both as a V55 in the parent company’s range and as a Dreamer. In fact, this campervan specialist marque offers three flavours of the same basic recipe – D55 and D55 Up (with a pop-top) in the entry-level Fun range, plus the new-for-2024 D55+ in the premium Select range. It has evolved in nearly a decade on sale but the Modul’Space washroom that makes such clever use of space remains key to its popularity. New this season is the Plus spec (also available on the longer, single bed layout D68). Inside, this top-of-the-range campervan comes with the Natural furniture and Dakota TEP (leather-look) upholstery, as well as interior accessories…

THIS isn’t your typical campervan. It caught my eye at the Yorkshire Motorhome & Campervan Show because of its base vehicle, the ID Buzz Cargo, but its conversion is, perhaps, more interesting than the all-electric Volkswagen – and, in any case, it fits numerous other panel vans, too. It’s the brainchild of friends, Max and Carwyn, who have been designing small spaces – not just campervans – for years. The pair have worked for the George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces TV programme and clearly did not set out to be just another camper conversion company. Part of the brief here was to create a camper that was “accessible and affordable for all.” Lightweight, durable, aluminium floor rails are the backbone, providing fixings not only for the campervan kits but also bike…